Multi-farm Architectures

for SharePoint Server 2013

Design principles Cross-farm services Example 1: Scaling with additional content farms
In SharePoint Server 2013, the features that support the social The User Profile service must reside in the same datacenter as the content it supports. Many Sharing services across farms Description Advantages
features require the User Profile service application to be located in the same datacenter as
experience include dependencies that influence multi-farm My Sites, team sites, and community sites. Sharing services across farms · A primary farm hosts all cross-farm services and My Sites. The · Keeping as many sites on the primary farm as possible provides
architectures · Some services can be shared across server farms. Other services can be shared only within a single server farm. primary farm also hosts as many team sites that will fit, according the best possible social experience for those sites.
Multiple My Site farms requires multiple User Profile service applications: A single instance of Services that support sharing across farms can be run in a primary or central farm and consumed from multiple to sizing guidance. · Performance for social features is optimized when the User Profile
Microblogging and Feeds: The What's New page in the My Site provides an aggregated view the User Profile service application can only be associated with one My Site host. If multiple farms. · One or more additional farms are added for team sites. service and My Sites are located on the same farm.
of activities related to users' interests, including microblogging functionality. Feeds for this My Site farms are necessary, multiple User Profile service applications are necessary as well. · In large environments, computing-intensive services can be run in a central farm to minimize administration · Server-to-server authentication is configured between the two
page can come from multiple farms.
The App Catalog cannot be shared across farms: Multiple App Catalog’s will need to be setup
overhead and to scale out easily and efficiently as requirements grow. farms. Disadvantages
· While the User Profile service application can be shared across farms, this service must reside in the same · Farms are in the same datacenters.
Distributed Cache: The distributed cache maintains the What's New feed. This feeds and managed. datacenter as the farms that it supports. · Some social features do not work well across farms. For example,
infrastructure supports the read and write operations generated by users' activities and
participation in microblogging. User Profile Service activities in Farm B might not appear in My Site newsfeeds in
Configuring server-to-server authentication between farms Cross-farm service applications User Profile Managed Business Data Search Farm A.
Metadata Connectivity The User Profile Service application must be in the same datacenter
User Profile: User profile properties drive a broad set of SharePoint features from social These service applications can be shared Most commonly
collaboration to authorization. The User Profile service application is tied more closely to Multi-farm environments involve communication between farms. Server-to-server across multiple farms. shared services as My Sites and other content sites.
content than in previous versions. authentication allows farms to access and request resources from one another on behalf of
Secure Store Machine
users. Server-to-server authentication uses the Open Authorization (OAuth) 2.0 protocol. Service Translation
Design principles for scaling beyond a single farm: Farms that provide service applications and the farms that consume these require a server-
to-server authentication. In addition to the basic farm-level trust that is configured,
Establish a primary farm with cross-farm services and My Sites and add one or more farms additional configuration is necessary between farms for specific scenarios and features, such
for collaboration sites (team sites and community sites). The primary farm can also host as as eDiscovery and Business Intelligence. Single-farm service applications Usage & Health State Service Performance Microsoft SharePoint Foundation
many collaboration sites as scale guidance indicates. This first step in scaling out assumes, at
Data Collection Point Subscription Settings Service Farm A: Primary farm
These service applications can be used only Farm B: Additional content farm
a minimum, that the load for My Sites and cross-farm services can reside on the same farm. In Example 1, the two farms require a server-to-server authentication relationship. In Example within a single farm.
See the 1st architecture example in this model. 2, below, Farm A (Enterprise Services) and Farm B (My Sites) require a server-to server App Work
IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services”
IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services”
authentication relationship with every other farm in the environment. Content farms (Farms Management Management
All client-related services can
Social features work best with one My Site farm: If multiple content farms are necessary, keep C-F) do not require server-to-server relationships with each other. only be used by a single farm.
Application Pool Application Pool
all My Sites on one farm. Social features do not work across multiple My Site farms.
User Profile Search Excel Services Access Services
Office Web Apps does not require a server-to-server authentication relationship with Excel Services Access Services Visio Graphics Word PowerPoint
Scale to a dedicated services farm only if needed. If the volume of My Sites warrants a Automation Conversion
SharePoint farms.
dedicated farm or combining the cross-farm services and My Sites creates too great a load
for one farm, scale out to a dedicated services farm and a dedicated My Sites farm. See the Managed Business Data
For more information, see the following articles in the TechNet library: Word Work
2nd architecture example in this model. Some organization might choose to deploy a Metadata Connectivity
Automation Management
· Plan for server-to-server authentication in SharePoint 2013
dedicated search farm and leave all other cross-farm services with a primary farm that also
· Configure server-to-server authentication in SharePoint 2013
includes My Sites. WAN-friendly services IIS Web Site - “SharePoint
Machine SecureWeb
StoreServices” Visio Graphics App

Applying software updates

Translation Service Management
The Search, Managed Metadata, and Machine Translation services can be shared across a wide area network
(WAN). The Business Data Connectivity service application can be used across WAN links depending on how the
Business Data Connectivity service is implemented

In multi-farm environments, the order in which the farms are updated is important. When For more information about the patching and update process for SharePoint farms, see the Cross-farm services support for WAN environments Default group Default group
updating environments with multiple farms, update farms in the following order: following model: Enterprise-scale farms for SharePoint Server 2013. SERVICE APPLICATION SUPPORTED OVER WAN CONNECTIONS? NOTES Excel Services Access Services
· Service farms Content can be crawled over WAN connections. Alternatively, search can be Application Pool Application Pool
Search Yes
· My site farm Example 2 — Update farms in the following order
configured to retrieve results from remote result sources (indexes at remote farms).

· Content farms Managed Metadata Yes User entry fields provided by the Managed Metadata service application might not
1. Farm A — Enterprise Services farm be available if a WAN connection is not online (such as an intermittent satellite link).
Word Work Web Application — Content Sites Web Application — Content Sites
Automation Management
It’s important to update service farms before updating farms that consume services. Service 2. Farm B — My Site farm
After the data model is cached on the Web server of the remote farm (the farm
consuming the Business Data Connectivity service from a central farm), the remote http://teams
Business Data Connectivity Yes http://my
farms support connections with farms that are running an earlier version of the software. farm queries the data by connecting directly to the data source over the WAN
3. Farms C-E — Content farms (the order of these is not important unless one of these farms (instead of reconnecting to the farm that is hosting the Business Data Connectivity
However, if a consuming farm is running a later version of the software, this can cause issues. service).
is hosting a service application that is shared with other farms) Using the User Profile service application across WAN links is not supported. This
Visio Graphics App
Management
User Profile Not supported service requires direct database access. For WAN environments, the User Profile http://teams
Example 1 — Update farms in the following order Replication Engine is recommended instead.

1. Farm A — Enterprise Services farm The Office Web Apps farm can be updated independently of the SharePoint farms. Secure Store Service Yes
The Secure Store Service works across WAN links but is not recommended because
it might negatively affect the performance of other services over a WAN link.
2. Farm B — Content farm Machine Translation Service Yes

Example 2: Scaling with a dedicated services farm and multiple content farms
Description Farm A: Enterprise Services Farm G: Office Web Apps
IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services”

· One enterprise services farm hosts all cross-farm services, including the User Profile Application Pool
service application.
User Profile Search Managed Business Data Machine
· A dedicated My Site farm and one or more content farms. Metadata Connectivity Translation
· Trust certificates are exchanged between farms that share and consume service
applications. The appropriate services are configured for sharing and consuming
across farms.
· Server-to-server authentication is configured between the following farms:
· Farm A and B
· Farm A and C
· Farm A and D
· Farm A and F Farm B: My Site Farm
· Farm B and C
· Farm B and D IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services”
· Farm B and E
Application Pool
· Farm B and F
· All farms reside in the same datacenter. Default group
Farm C: Content Farm Farm D: Content Farm Farm E: Content Farm Farm F: Content Farm
Advantages IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services” IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services” IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services” IIS Web Site - “SharePoint Web Services”
Excel Services Access Services

· Allows scaling beyond a single content farm. Application Pool Application Pool Application Pool Application Pool Application Pool
· Allows failover of a farm without impacting other farms. Web Application—My Sites
Word Work Excel Services Access Services Default group Excel Services Access Services Default group Excel Services Access Services Default group Excel Services Access Services Default group
Automation Management http://my
Disadvantages
Application Pool Application Pool Application Pool Application Pool
Visio Graphics App Word Work Word Work Word Work Word Work
· Additional farms to manage. Management Automation Management Web Application — Automation Management Web Application — Automation Management Web Application — Automation Management Web Application —
· The environment is limited to a single My Site farm. If more than one My Site farm is http://my/personal/<user> Content Sites Content Sites Content Sites Content Sites

required, multiple User Profile Service applications must be incorporated and social http://teams http://teams http://teams http://teams
Secure Store Visio Graphics App Visio Graphics App Visio Graphics App Visio Graphics App
features will not work across these farms. Management Management Management Management
Service
http:// http:// http:// http://
communities communities communities communities

June 2013

© 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. To send feedback about this documentation, please write to us at ITSPdocs@microsoft.com.
© 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. To send feedback about this documentation, please write to us at ITSPDocs@microsoft.com.